10 Christmas ideas for under £10

10 Christmas gifts under £10

You don’t have a to spend a fortune on extravagant presents for your friends and family. Thoughtful, homemade gifts can be just as nice. Here, we highlight 10 of the best gifts costing under £10 – from personalised mugs to homemade jams and bird feeders.

Calendars

Calendars featuring photos of you and your loved ones are a great way to keep friends and relatives smiling all through the year. Vistaprint’s Classic Wall Calendars cost just £6.38 for one or £11.99 for two.

Jams and chutneys

Making jams and chutneys can be fun – and the end results make lovely Christmas gifts. Check out this pickle, jam and chutney recipe page for ideas. Save empty jars to make free containers, or buy jam jars from Jamjarshop for as little as 39p each. You can make them extra special by decorating them with labels and bows.

Fir cone bird feeders

These easy-to-make fir cone feeders are the perfect present for bird lovers. Simply collect the biggest fir cones you can find and twist some wire around the bases. Then dip in melted lard, roll in mixed birdseed and poke some raisins into the gaps.

Personalised mugs

Brighten up someone’s coffee break with a personalised mug. This set of six cute Welly Boot Family mugs costs just £8.75 (plus postage starting at £3.75). Each mug bears the family name at the top and can be personalised with a pair of boots and a first name.

Homemade chocolate truffles

Know someone with a sweet tooth? Why not make them some delicious chocolate truffles? This recipe is easy to follow and includes several variations. And you can buy presentation boxes from online retailers such as the Cake Craft Shop for as little as £1.50 each.

Santa sleigh bells

Make December 25 even more magical for a young child by buying a sleigh bell such as this one at £1.99 and “hiding” it outside (somewhere visible from inside your home), before pointing it out on Christmas morning. They’ll think it fell off Santa’s sleigh.

Flavoured olive oils

Treat foodie friends and relatives to a bottle of flavoured olive oil – made by you. For a tasty chilli oil, for example, simply put one tablespoon of chilli flakes, 10 whole peppercorns and a whole dried chilli into a saved or bought glass bottle (World of bottles has a wide range, many of which cost just £1 or £2 each) then fill with olive oil and allow to infuse – ideally for at least a month.

Slipper socks

Cosy slipper socks are perfect for slouching around the house during the winter months. These stripy kids’ ones from Matalan cost just £2 a pair, while these pretty ladies’ slipper socks from The Sock Shop cost £9.99.

Bath bombs

Why buy expensive bath bombs, when you can make your own? Just mix 1kg of sodium bicarbonate and 500g of citric acid together well, then add a few drops of the food colouring and flavouring of your choice – you could use vanilla extract or cocoa powder, for example. Keep stirring while adding a few drops of water, until the mixture resembles damp sand. Then mould the bombs using paper cups or cake cases, before leaving them to dry for 48 hours, wrapping them in cling film and labelling/decorating them.

Homemade activity packs

Unleash your inner Blue Peter presenter and make a personalised activity pack for a child in your life. There are loads of websites (such as this one) offering activity ideas, from making friendship bracelets to conducting simple science experiments. So find a few you think they will enjoy and pop the instructions and materials into an envelope with a picture of the activity or finished product on the front.